Posts Tagged Paul Ubana Jones

The first I was really aware of Gil Scott-Heron – and I mean really aware– was hearing Paul Ubana Jones perform an a cappella take on Home Is Where the Hatred Is. (Here’s the Gil Scott-Heron original.) I had heard of Gil Scott-Heron; I knew this famous piece. But hearing Jones speak and sing the words…well, that really made me take notice. The compilation […]

Welcome to episode 112 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and Le Petite Chocolat. I had a conversation with Darren Watson. You might remember that he was the subject of the very first episode of Sweetman Podcast. If you want a career overview and you missed it at the time go back and […]

I’m always intrigued to see a version of a gig poster available for sale at the gig – usually at a ridiculously high price. And then you see people with them, after or during; the poster scrunched up like the last bit of Christmas wrapping paper on the roll. A complete waste. I would never […]

Welcome to episode 49 of Sweetman Podcast brought to you by Phantom Billstickers. A chat with musician Paul Ubana Jones. I first met Paul sometime in the late 1990s. Me and a mate had driven from Wellington to the ski-field to see him play. Four hours or so there and back. When the gig finished […]

Daniel Barenboim, Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.4 in F Minor, Op.36 (1972) I have a fairly omnivorous approach to classical. I learn on the job. I go in, open-minded, find things I dig, some I don’t – and though I’m not at the level of being able to tell things apart (different versions, conductors, performers) I can […]

A pretty good week – I’ve been podcasting up a storm, new ep on the way very soon and now several in the can as I contemplate moving up to once a week rather than once a fortnight…we’ll see, that’s the plan for 2017, potentially. So lots of chats this week – some about music, […]

The Last Waltz: 40th Anniversary Concert Opera House Wednesday, November 23 Here was The Tall Order: take a bunch of musicians, give them four days to rehearse – and then send them out on the road to play a quick series of shows as a tribute to one of the greatest concert films of all […]

We’re up to episode 23 of Sweetman Podcast – a chat with my friend Ben Fulton. He’s a musician and he makes guitar pedals, his company is Red Witch Analog Guitar Pedals. He’s also played music with Paul Ubana Jones and Jan Hellriegel, Ahoribuzz and The Hairy Lollies. He released a solo album, collaborated with […]

I was talking with a friend the other day about how we missed Downstage – the Wellington theatre. It was great. Saw some amazing plays there and comedy and also live music. They created this initiative called the Soundstage Series. It sorta didn’t really – quite – work. I’d had some involvement, suggested some names […]

I’ve written a lot about Paul Ubana Jones, I’ve written about him often – covering his gigs, reviewing albums, plugging his work and worth. He’s a friend. A hero. Someone I’ve admired for a long time, and consider myself lucky to know – to be able to chat to, to look forward to catching up […]

I was never – really – a Keb’ Mo’ (b. Kevin Moore). But around the time of this show he was making a dent, his clean sound, the blues-for-MTV sound of polish – I’d detest it now I reckon, but back then it was okay, never great, but okay. And live he had something – […]

Still feels like such a heavy weight, knowing he’s gone. I, like a lot of others, have said my goodbye, and was expecting B.B. King to die for the last few years – in fact, in a way, this gig was my goodbye to him. The chance to (finally) see him. Okay, so he wasn’t […]